“An informed community is a prepared community,” said Gabriel Portugal, a member of the original Leadership Tri-Cities class founded in 1994.

Born in Mexico, Gabriel is the founder and president of the Tri-Cities Washington LULAC chapter, and has been a fixture of community action in the Tri-Cities for decades. His experiences as a teenager in Mexico and a young adult in the United States shaped his activism.

“I left Mexico in ‘68 because of the government’s reaction to student protests.”

In 1968, students’ groups around Mexico protested the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who had held power in Mexico for over 40 years. The students were advocating for greater political freedoms, democratic reforms, and an end to the repressive tactics used by the government. But, the government’s reaction to the protests were severe — a closure of schools across the country, and violence that culminated in the armed forces opening fire on a group of unarmed civilians at the Plaza de Las Tres Cultrals in Mexico City — killing hundreds of people in an event called the Tlatelolco Massacre.

“My family was worried…We thought we would only leave for a short time, but in 1971 another massacre (El Halconazo) was inflicted on students protests and I decided to stay and study in the United States.”

On a student visa, Gabriel studied at Washington State University and earned a degree in education. It was at WSU where he started to become active in community organizations, “At Pullman, I founded a theater — a music and dancing group — we performed in several places, like the Walla Walla penitentiary.”

During this time, he also worked on inviting high school Latino students’ groups to visit universities, so that they could see themselves as college students and open themselves to new ideas, career pathways, and economic opportunity.

“I was born into a critical situation as far as finances and having enough to survive. So, I was able to see that the two ways of living with the real poor and real wealthy.”

As a teacher, and later a principal, he soon found that the curriculum did not dedicate any substantial part of the curriculum to Latino or Chicano studies.

“This is a problem, particularly in times of crisis. To solve problems, people have to understand each other and their cultures.”

He became an original organizer of the Cinco de Mayo celebration in Pasco as a way to bring people together and educate the community.

In 1992, Gabriel started to host a weekly one-hour live radio show called Nuestro Pueblo at four Spanish Radio Stations in Tri-Cities, Granger, and Prosser. One segment would include a discussion with a local law enforcement official who would take questions from the Spanish-speaking public.  Gabriel explained that for many Latinos their experience with law enforcement would cause anxiety and apprehension when approached by someone in uniform.

In 2015, Gabriel established the Tri-Cities Washington LULAC chapter as a way to proactively improve the community through economic empowerment and civic engagement. The Tri-Cities chapter is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization that works to empower the Latino community.

On January 5, 2024, Tri-Cities (LULAC) President Gabriel Portugal and his team presented to Leadership Tri-Cities during the First Friday Event. 

LULAC is committed to unifying and empowering the Latino community, striving to provide an inclusive environment where all Latinos can reach their full potential through better education, health care services, civil rights advocacy, and civic engagement. 

The Tri-Cities chapter team described how they are focusing on the following issues:

1. Empowering Tri-Cities Latino youth
2. Building community support and resources
3. Helping young adults navigate higher education